exploration

Meeting 21

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March 4, 2018
2:00 pm
Hitchcock Hall Room 214

Meeting Agenda: 

  1. Get data logging from exploration 3 done
  2. Start working on Performance Test 3

Meeting Notes:

Only Tom and Dean were present. Tom started testing for Performance Test 3 using only the bump switch, as the line following kit was being re-soldered. With Dean, he cut the motor wires to get a stronger connection with the motor ports. Dean re-soldered the line following kit, added the appropriate resistors to it. He mounted a bump switch to the robot for testing while re-doing the line following kit.

Future Actions: 

  1. Prepare for board meeting
  2. Prepare for Performance Test 3
  3. Finish exploration
  4. Mid-semester feedback

Meeting 20

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March 2, 2018
3:00 pm
Hitchcock Hall Room 214

Meeting Agenda:

  1. Prepare for Performance Test 3
  2. Go over feedback for other teams’ reports
  3. Finish exploration 3

Meeting Notes: 

Everyone was present for this meeting. Tom worked on finishing exploration 3, trying to figure out how to use RPS. Shyon ordered parts and worked on feedback. Dean soldered a bump switch, put the forklift mechanism together, ordered two magnets and put them on the arm mechanism. Meghan met with the team to go over the meeting agenda, went over feedback for other teams’ reports, but had to leave early.

Future Actions:

  1. Finish exploration
  2. Start working on Performance Test 3

Meeting 10

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February 16, 2018
3:00 pm
Hitchcock Hall Room 214

Meeting Agenda:

  1. Complete Exploration 2 while learning about shaft encoding and line following
  2. Pick up ordered parts

Meeting Notes: 

Everyone was present. This meeting occurred during Exploration 2, where the team became familiar with the line following kit and shaft encoding using the Crayola bot. After setting up the robot and wiring the line following kit an motors to the proper ports, the group got readings for each of the optosensors for when it was on a line or the background of two different courses. After getting these readings, Dean started coding for the shaft encoding part of the exploration while Tom and Meghan started coding for the line following part of the exploration. Using the shaft encoding program template, Dean collected data on how many ticks on each motor were counted when the motors were programmed to move forwards for 6 inches. Based on the results, he realized that at higher motor powers, the motors would go past 6 inches and that the right motor would move 11% more than the left motor for the same power. After collecting the data and making the robot turn 90°, he tried to perform the required task of making the robot drive 14 inches, turn left 90°, drive 10 inches, turn right 90°, then drive 4 inches. During his first attempt, the robot did not drive the full 14 inches but did everything else perfectly, so he corrected the number of ticks and the robot succeeded during its second attempt.

For the line following part of the exploration, Tom and Meghan wrote a program that attempted to follow a straight and curved line using a line following kit.  At first it was unsuccessful as it did not follow the line.  However, after the group changed the ranges for the digital input from the line following kit, the Crayola bot successfully traveled on a straight line.  Next, for the curved line the group again changed the values of the ranges of the input, but the group was unsuccessful in following the curved line.  At this point, class was over, and the group decided to work on following the curved line in the following week.

Dean picked up the parts from the store that the team had previously ordered and put them in a clear container that Meghan brought to store the robot parts. The team had planned on meeting after this but realized that there is no open lab on Friday.

Future Actions: 

  1. Start building robot
  2. Order parts needed
  3. Set up Github

Meeting 5

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February 9, 2018
3:00 pm
Hitchcock Hall Room 214

Meeting Agenda:

  1. Complete Exploration 1 while becoming familiar with coding the Proteus, the CdS cell, bump switches, and motors

Meeting Notes:

The whole team was present. This meeting overlapped with Exploration 1, where the team learned how to program some useful things on the Proteus using a basic pre-made robot. Dean and Meghan set up the robot and connected the motor, CdS cell, and servo motor to the respective ports. Tom and Meghan explored the code for using a CdS cell to determine light color. They also wrote the code for controlling a servo motor’s angle based on the CdS cell value. Shyon and Dean then took over and wrote the code for the robot’s navigation based on microswitches. The picture below depicts the path the robot needed to follow based on this code.

During Shyon and Dean’s coding adventure, Tom and Meghan discussed the appendages for the team’s robot. They went into the course room and looked at the wrench, the buttons, and the fuel pump. They officially decided to use a forklift on one side of the robot and a rotating mechanism on the other to accomplish the tasks. Tom took some measurements of the mock robot for future reference and for the team’s mock-up.

Future Actions: 

  1. Meet up to start the cardboard mock-up